Window sash lock



March 21,1939.

8. MADSEN WINDOW SASH LOCK Original Filed Ndv. 16, 1935 Patented Mar. 21, 1939 PATENT OFFICE WINDOW SASH LOCK Sern Madsen, Clinton, Iowa, assignor to Curtis Companies Incorporated, Clinton, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Refiled for abandoned application Serial No.

50,144, November 16, 1935.

This application December 14, 1937, Serial No. 179,695

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a window sash lock for use with double hung or so-called check rail windows of the vertical sliding type.

It is my purpose to provide an improvement in the usual fastener employed for window sashes of this kind, whereby the fastener can be more cheaply and conveniently constructed and whereby the function of drawing the sashes together laterally and vertically will be more efficiently performed.

More particularly, my object is to provide such a device, which can be made largely out of stampings and in a manner to substantially decrease the expense of manufacturing.

Another particular object is to provide a structure in which the locking plate can be moved into position to cooperate with the strike plate even though there be considerable variation in the position of the sashes, and then during the final movement of the locking handle, the locking plate and strike plate cooperate to draw the sashes together vertically and toward each other horizontally to insure a tight joint.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my window sash lock. whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a top or plan view of a sash fastener embodying my invention with parts installed on the sashes, the path of the upper sash being shown in section, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical, sectionalview taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, illustrating the parts in finally closed position.

Figure 4 is a top or plan view of parts of the fastener in the position assumed after the closing movement has begun, portions being shown in section and portions being broken away.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the disassembled parts of the handle, locking plate, base plate andwasher of the fastener device, which is intended to be mounted on the lower sash.

Figure 6 is a detail, sectional View taken on the.

line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are plan views, partially diagrammatic, illustrating the parts on the lower sash in three different positions of their movement from full open to full closed position.

The present application is in substance a refiled application for the matter of my former application, Serial No. 50,144, filed November 16, 1935.

The most generally used check lock is the crescent type. Another fastener for double hung window sashes is illustrated for example in the patent to Ives, No. 611,171, issued September 20, 1898.

My present invention is an improvement on such types of look. In my fastener, what may be for convenience called the lock, is attached to the top or meeting rail Ill of the bottom sash, and a coacting strike plate is located opposite the lock on the upper side of the bottom rail 12 of the top sash. I

One function of such locks and strikes is to lock the sashes together against opening of the windows from the outside.

Another intended function is to draw the adjoining check rails of the two sashes snugly together to insure a tight joint between the check rails of the upper and lower sashes.

What I have called the usual fastener does not always perform this last function satisfactorily. For example with the so-called usual sash fasteners, the handle is given a first movement or quarter turn to bring the locking plate into line with the strike plate, whereupon a further quarter movement of the handle finishes the locking operation of the parts.

Where the usual locks are used, it is necessary that the sashes be vertically adjusted to the proper position in order that the lock may be moved to its final position and finish drawing the sash together horizontally.

It is a matter of common knowledge that the sashes must be accurately positioned relatively, both vertically and laterally for good operation of the usual type of lock.

My sash fastener is so constructed that it permits of a greater variation of the sashes from their proper positions and will still function to drawthem tightly together, vertically and laterally by the operation of the fastener.

Where the ordinary sash fasteners are used, they will often not work, if for example, the tops of the two check rails can not be brought to register horizontally. This is likely to occur where the sashes are swelled. Sometimes also, the ordinary sash fastener will not work where the sashes are off-center from side toside. This is likely to, occur in dry weather when the sashes are shrunk or on loosely fitted sashes.

With my sash fastener, a tight joint can be formed between the check rails in spite of any ordinary swelling or shrinking of the sash.

I will now describe my fastener.

My fastener proper consists of a handle A and associated parts, a locking plate B, a base plate D, a washer E, and a fastening post or pin 38 hereinafter referred to.

In an ordinary sash fastener of this type, the base plate, the hook and especially the handle, are usually cast. By the construction here shown, I am able to make these parts from stampings. Castings can not be made accurate enough without expensive machining, and when made :properly are substantially more costly than stampings.

The base of my fastener, indicated at D, comprises a shell l3 substantially rectangular in form with down-turned flanges I4 and I5 at the front and sides. Formed on the sides are projecting lugs or the like I1 to receive screws |6, by which the base plate may be fastened to the top of the sash IEI. In the top of the shell l3 isan opening I8 of peculiar shape. The opening I8 is substantially round, except that there are the two substantially triangular portions of material I9 and 2 I, which project into the opening from the upper left-hand part and the lower right-hand part as viewed in Figure 7. There is a reces 26 extending from the right-hand part of the opening l8.

The curved parts of the opening have the downwardly extending flanges 23 at their edges.

The locking plate B comprises an elongated plate '22, having at what may be called the rearward end, the down-turned hook 24, at the end of which is a returning portion 26, having its upper surface downwardly inclined. The inclined from the front end of the first arm as shown in Figure 5.

The handle A has associated with it a disc 36 with a central projecting post 38 and a shorter off-center projecting post 40. The handle has the bell-shaped member 4|, having flanges 42, 43

folded around the edge and rigidly secured to the disc 36. The bell-shaped portion 4| has a projecting member 44 stamped out and comprising a member adapted to be engaged by the finger of the operator.

This particular structure of the handle member A, I consider important, because it makes it possible to make the parts, except the two posts 38 and 40 out of stampings.

The parts are assembled together before the fastening member is secured to the sash.

In the assembled fastener, the locking plate B rests upon the upper surface of the base D with the lugs 32 projected into the hole l8, as illustrated for example in Figure 2.

The handle is shown in inverted position in Figure 5.

In the assembled fastener, it is turned over and both posts project through the opening 34 and into the opening I 8, the post 38 being the axis on which the fastener works.

For connecting the parts together, so that they will be held frictionally in any of their operating positions, I provide an inverted bell-shaped washier 39 with a flange 31, which fits against the under side of the plate l3. The post 38 is rigidly fastened to the center of the bell-shaped washer 39 in any suitable way.

The strike or strike plate consists of a base 48 adapted to be secured to the top l2 of the lower rail of the outer sash by screws 50. At the front of the plate or base 48 is an upwardly extending member or flange 52, from which the portion 54 is inclined rearwardly and upwardly to coact with the portion 26 of the locking plate.

The vmeeting edge of the inclined portion 54 of the strike is beveled as indicated at 56 in Figures 3 and 6.

I shall now describe the operation of my improved fastener.

It will, of course, be understood that the sashes are moved to closed position. The fastener members are so mounted on the sash rails that the locking plate and the strike plate will then be opposite each other. When the locking plate is in inoperative position, it extends horizontally to the left, as shown in Figure '7, parallel with the sash rail on which it is mounted.

The handle 44 then projects away from the locking plate in line therewith in the opposite direction.

The movement of the locking members from inoperative to fully locked position is in two steps or stages.

In the first step, the handle 44 is moved from its position shown in Figure 7 a quarter turn until it is in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 8, where it projects away from both sash. At the beginning of the movement, the lugs 32 are in position where they engage the portions I9 and 2| and the post 4|] is then in the laterally extending arm of the L-shaped slot 34.

The first step or quarter turn of the handle causes the post 40 to engage the plate 22 at the edge of the arm of the slot 34, thus swinging the plate 22 from its position shown in Figure 7 to its position shown in Figure 8.

During this movement, the lugs 32 slide along the flanges 23 adjacent the curved edges of the openings I8 until they engage the portions Ill- 2| and are in alignment with the extension hole 20 of the base plate as shown in Figure 8. 7

During this step or stage of the locking movement, the flange 26 swings under the flange 54.

If the sashes are in normal position, the flange 54 then rests above the flange 26 as shown in Figure 2 and in Figure 6. Owing to the construction here shown, the flange 26 may be moved to the proper position under the flange 54, even though there is such variation from normal in the position of the sashes as may occur due to ordinary expansion or contraction.

If, for example, the sashes are shrunk a little, the flange 26 will be a little below the flange 54. If on the other hand, the sashes are swelled, the beveled edges 28 and 56 will engage each other, so that the first step of the locking movement will cause the flanges 26 and 54 to engage for starting to pull the sashes together to a proper level.

In the second stage of the locking movement, the handle is moved from its dotted line position shown in Figure 8 another quarter turn to its dotted line position shown in Figure 9. During this movement, the lugs 32 will engage the members l9 and 2|, so that the locking p'late'22 can not rotate farther.

However, the post 43 will then engage the edge of the slot 34 as illustrated in Figure 8, and the further movement of the handle toward its final closing position will force the plate 22 to the right from its position shown in Figure 8 and to its position shown in Figure 9. This movement will cause the flange 26 to move to the right from its position shown in Figure 2 underneath the flange 54, tending to pull the sashes together both vertically and horizontally.

This last step or quarter turn of the handle draws the sashes and the fastener parts together from the position illustrated in Figure 2 to the fully locked position illustrated in Figure 3.

My improved sash fastener permits of more variation from normal alignment of the sashes without interfering with the operation of the lock than is possible with the locks ordinarily in use. For instance, the lock most commonly used slides one beveled member underneath the other during the first step of the looking movement and this tends to draw the sashes together vertically.

However, if the sashes should happen to be swelled, it sometimes occurs that they will not permit the full first movement of the first step because of binding of the parts. When that occurs, the second step can not be taken at all.

The desirable result which can be accomplished with my fastener results from the provision of the flanges 26 and 54 inclined as they are.

Furthermore if the sashes are off-center relatively from side to side, the members 54 and 26 are of such width from side to side as to engage anyhow, and the sash lock will still work effectively.

It has already been mentioned that the structure of the parts here shown permits them to be stamped out at a minimum of expense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a window structure having vertically slidable sashes, the combination of a sash lock structure comprising interlocking hook members adapted to be mounted on respective check rails of the sashes having parallel opposed engaging faces of greater width than the side clearance of the fitted sashes disposed at an acute angle with the horizontal, one of said hook members having a base and an eccentric pivotal mounting securing it thereto adapted to provide compound movement in a horizontal plane, one part of said movement being adapted to advance the movable hook member rotationally in a horizontal plane into engagement with the other so that the engaging faces lie substantially parallel and another part of said motion being initiated through the eccentric mounting to shift the engaged faces of the hook members over each other in an acute angular direction with respect to the horizontal and thereby to simultaneously close both vertical and horizontal clearance between said check rails. 2. A sash lock for a window structure having slidable sashes comprising coacting members having interlocking hook members thereon adapted to be mounted on respective check rails of the sashes, one of said members being provided with a base secured immovably to its respective check rail having a wing shaped aperture therein providing stop shoulders at the edges of said aperture, an intermediate member provided with a hook element, an L shaped slot and downwardly extending projections extending into the wing shaped aperture and adapted to engage the shoulders thereof to limit its motion during rotation, a handle member including a fiat portion provided with a center bolt for securing it to the intermediate member and the base and a post on said flat portion spaced laterally from the bolt and projecting downwardly into one end of the L shaped slot and adapted upon rotation to shift the intermediate member in a rotational direction until the projections thereon engage said shoulders and the hook element simultaneously engages said other hook element, said post being then operable to shift said intermediate member endwise so that said bolt is moved to the end of said L shaped slot and said post is shifted to the position normally occupied by said bolt, said pivoting operation being adapted to draw said hook elements into complete engagement.

SERN MADSEN. 

